Sleeping With the Opposition (Bad Boy Bosses) (18 page)

“So I
am
still negotiating with you for dates,” he teased, nibbling the tip of her nose.

All she wanted to do was bail on the rest of the day and race him home, but he probably had work to do as well, so they would have to be responsible adults for a few more hours. “I’ll meet you at home for dinner? I can pick up Chinese food.”

“Sounds perfect.”

She walked him out. Nadia Foster was exiting the elevator just as they approached. Tongue in cheek, Bria shook Leo’s hand. “It was a pleasure negotiating with you, counselor,” she said.

“The pleasure was all mine, counselor.” There was no doubt he was being purposely suggestive, and when he entered the elevator, his gaze penetrated her to her core, and he watched her until the door had closed completely.

Bria decided to get a little revenge on Nadia. She purposely used her finger to wipe at the corner of her mouth, as if to fix smeared lipstick—even though she hadn’t been wearing any—and made a show of smoothing her skirt in a blatant suggestion that she’d been up to something that had put her in a disheveled state.

Then she spun around and walked away…but not before noticing the shocked expression on Nadia’s face.

…

Leo looked up from the papers he’d been reading at the beep of the house alarm, and smiled.

A moment later, Bria breezed into the study with a brown paper bag. “I’ve got dinner,” she said.

There was a glow in her face as she put the bag on his desk. “Dinner can wait,” he said, pulling her down on his lap. “Tell me about Justice Horner’s proposition.”

She giggled, and the sound of her happiness was a balm on his soul. “Brandon was
right
,” she said, breathless with excitement. “He wants me to be a named partner in his mediation practice.”

He squeezed her. “Why do you sound like that’s such an incredulous possibility?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that I don’t believe it. It’s just…it never really occurred to me, but…I actually think I would be awesome at it!”

He laughed and drew her close and kissed her quick on the mouth. He loved her like this. Strong and confident, beautiful and happy. “I couldn’t agree more. There’s no one else more qualified or capable of taking on a venture like this.” He paused. “But I’m not saying you aren’t a fantastic lawyer doing exactly what you’re doing. You shouldn’t take this just because you think you’re not going to make partner at Bergmanis Dorfman.”

She punched him in the ribs. “It’s okay. I know you don’t want to influence my decision, so I’m happy to say that I’ve already made up my mind and it has nothing to do with Bergmanis Dorfman and everything to do with how I feel about this opportunity. Imagine being able to practice law in a way that helps everyone win? I didn’t tell Justice Horner yet because I still want to go over the numbers, but I think I’m going to take him up on his offer.”

Her excitement was infectious, filling his heart. They’d gone through so much and come such a long way, it felt good to celebrate something again. He kissed her in earnest. Kissed her until the food had gone cold and they padded, naked, into the kitchen to heat it in the microwave a few hours later.

Epilogue

Leo entered the offices of Horner and Martin ADR with his client and his new articling student. Despite their reconciliation three years ago, Bria had continued to use her maiden name in business, which was just fine with him.

The reception area of the well-appointed office space was the exact opposite of a typical somber-looking law firm. There was no dark wood, no dead people’s portraits on the walls. Bria had done the decorating, so there were bright splashes of color throughout, from the greens and yellows in the vibrant art pieces to the contemporary red leather sofas that had been set up in random pairings to encourage counsel and clients to lounge.

When the arbitration process was completed, that was often manageable, but until they got in that room with Bria and she worked her magic, most of the time the parties wanted nothing to do with each other, even when it came to sitting in the reception area together.

Magic is exactly what the profession was calling the work that Horner and Martin ADR was doing. Their settlement rate was near perfect, which had helped spread the word and snowball their business to the point where they were booking six to eight months ahead of time and looking to hire an additional arbitrator.

Brandon—Leo’s new articling student—approached the receptionist. “Could you please let Justice Horner know that counsel for Mr. Wilson has arrived?” he asked politely.

When the kid decided to apply for law school, Leo hadn’t been surprised. He’d agreed to interview Brandon for an articling position mostly as a favor to his wife, but the kid had impressed him, and with Leo to show him how to hone his spunk and instincts, combined with the cleverness and sense of fair play he’d learned while working for Bria, Brandon was destined to be a great lawyer.

The door to the back offices opened. Brandon grinned from ear to ear as he saw who was coming to greet them. “Good afternoon, Ms. Martin,” he said.

Leo chuckled. They were still working on the kid’s poker face.

Bria smiled. “Hi, Brandon, good luck with your arbitration today.” She lowered her voice so the client couldn’t hear. “I hear he’s going to let you take the lead,” she said with a smiling glance up at Leo.

Brandon practically vibrated with anticipation and beamed with pride, and Leo realized how good it felt to be a mentor. It was the kind of feeling he’d always believed he would get from being a dad.

“I believe the other parties to your proceeding have already arrived.” Bria turned to the receptionist. “Would you let Justice Horner know that Mr. Markham and his associate”—she said the word with a big smile for Brandon—“have arrived?”

With that she stepped aside and turned to go. “Ms. Martin, might I speak with you for a moment before you go?” Leo asked.

“Of course, Mr. Markham.” He happened to know that everyone in both her office and his thought it was “cute” that husband and wife were so formal with each other during the workday. But for Leo it was no joke. It was his way of acknowledging Bria’s impressive career achievement and recognizing that her success was all her own.

He told Brandon to hang tight for a few minutes and followed Bria back to her office. She closed the door and leaned against it, looking at him with raised brows. “What can I help you with, counselor?”

He crossed his arms. “Do you want to tell me why you ducked out of the house this morning without a word?”

She paused. “I don’t think this is really a good time to get into it.”

“Now you’re worrying me,” he said with a frown. “What’s going on?”

She blushed. “I had an appointment.”

“You didn’t mention it last night.” She’d been quiet and withdrawn the last few days. At first he’d chalked it up to their busy schedules, but something was up.

She bit her lip. “I wanted to be sure before I said anything.”

“Be sure of what?”

She wrung her hands together and dropped her gaze. Now he was really starting to worry.

Without a care if it was professional or not, he pulled her close and cupped her cheeks so he could look into her eyes. “Sweetheart, what is it? Whatever is wrong, we’ll handle it together, okay?”

“I went to the doctor this morning.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “And I’m pregnant.”

All the breath in his lungs vacated in a rush, and it felt as if even the blood drained from his face. He swayed on his feet.

She shook him. “Leo, are you okay?”

He didn’t even realize that she’d nudged him into the chair in front of her desk until he had his head between his legs and she was telling him to take deep, even breaths.

He looked up and grasped her arm. “Are you…?”

“I’m fine.” When his concern still didn’t fade, she repeated, “I’m
fine
. The doctor says everything looks good. I’ll have to be careful, but he says there’s no reason to expect that I’ll have any difficulties.”

“How…?” He still couldn’t form complete sentences.

She smiled. “You mean
you
don’t know?”

“No jokes. I don’t know if my heart can handle it,” he said sternly. “But we weren’t even trying.”

“It
does
happen that way sometimes.” She hunkered down in front of him, and he quickly lifted her up and pulled her into his lap. She smoothed a hand into his jacket and over his chest. “It’s okay,” she reassured him in a soft whisper. “I’m ready.”

“Are you sure?” He peered into her face, trying to see to the truth, but there was none of the terror that he would have expected. “How are you so calm right now?”

She chuckled. “I wasn’t this morning, which is why I didn’t want you to come with me to the doctor. I had to get through that part on my own. But having had a chance to process it for a few hours—I canceled my mediation this morning and just sat here staring at the ceiling. Ella thought I was nuts—I really do feel calm. Do you want to know why?”

He squeezed her.

“Because I know that no matter what happens, you’re going to be right here with me. When I worry, you’re going to worry, and so I decided I’m just not going to do it. I want this part of our lives to be something we remember with joy, because it’s only the beginning.” Her voice broke, and her eyes glistened. “You’re going to be an
amazing
father.”

“I only ever wanted to be the man you loved. It’s
you
who has made me so much more.”

He’d never felt so complete, and it wasn’t because the Plan had come together. The Plan was nothing but a shallow guide for living. Real life was sitting right here in his lap with tears of joy and love shining from her eyes. Real life was kissing his wife while they both ignored the knock at the door.

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Acknowledgments

This book went through a few growing pains, and it’s thanks to the good advice and attention to detail of my wonderful editor, Tracy Montoya, that it became the book that it is today. Thank you so much for your experience and patience, and thank you to the entire Entangled team for helping put the finishing touches on it and get it out into the world.

Thanks also to my fantastic agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan, for being the ultimate professional and keeping me grounded and on track.

Christine D’Abo, Paula Watkinson, Cynthia Sax, Amy Ruttan, Elyssa Patrick, Maggie Robinson, and Tiffany Clare are not only my sounding boards and critique partners, but also wonderful friends, without whom I don’t know where I would be. They are always up for anything, even if it’s just to listen to me whine about not getting enough caffeine and cheesecake in my diet.

And while my husband and son are used to it by now, I still feel the need to apologize for that huge pile of laundry that never seems to get done. Maybe one day…but until then, we’re still having fun!

About the Author

J.K. Coi
is a multi-published, award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She makes her home in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and son and a feisty black cat who is the uncontested head of the household. While she spends her days immersed in the litigious world of insurance law, she is very happy to spend her nights writing dark and sexy characters who leap off the page and into readers’ hearts.

Find her online at
www.jkcoi.com
, and visit her alter ego,
Chloe Jacobs
, who writes thrilling dark fantasy for young adults.

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